Raindrops pounded on our roof, thumping like rocks falling from the sky. Yet the sound was quickly drowned out by an unspoken question in my mind:
“Will our framework for our community-based ceramic art program, Salinlahi Sining ng Komunidad, thrive in situ?”
I felt anxious about every written detail for the next run of Salinlahi as I re-read When Art is Not Enough by Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez, co-curator of Off Site/Out of Sight.
“Kon ikaw isa ka-potter, katunga gid na sing kabuhi mo ang pag-pottery,”Cabance warmly shared these words as I sat in front of a pile of terracotta pots he made while Oda, enamored by the tranquility of the province, took a quiet nap in a duyan nearby.
When I think of terracotta sculptures of women, I am always struck by the works of Ms. Julie Lluch—their heightened tactile details and dramatically intense forms. It is uncommon to see terracotta sculptures in contemporary ceramic exhibitions at galleries in the Philippines; more often, terracotta artifacts such as burial jars and traditional pots are displayed in museums. So when I first encountered Aquilizan’s terracotta pieces at the 2022 “Virtual Hugs” exhibit, I was surprised. Aquilizan’s works at that time reminded me of the emotional response I had upon seeing Ms. Lluch’s Doxology at the National Museum of the Philippines. Although these works differ significantly in aesthetic style, both rely on carefully manipulating forms and the positioning of the subject’s body to convey the pain and suffering of a woman.
If Trees Could Talk: A Budding Sanctuary of Art and Advocacy Rich pastures and lush trees welcomed the participants of the International Art Biennale, carrying
We hear people say that while the children are still young, let them play. That wasn’t the case for Ianna Engaño. At an early age, when she was too small to even lift a bag of goods, she struggled to fend for herself. Just like a caterpillar, she crawled to survive; she built a hard cocoon to protect her younger self from the horrors of this world until she blossomed into this butterfly that she had always dreamed to be.
Did you know that Odangputik started as an online business simply made for Ianna and her family’s survival when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020? Back then, Ianna found a bunch of stoneware clay given to her before. It was unused and stored for almost three years. What happened next? She went back to her first love — pottery-making. In the same year, she met Lin who started writing for her. Now, Ianna and Lin takes care of Odangputik Pottery Studio but with a better purpose and goals:
